Paul ‘Paddy’ Wilson was born in Ireland. He was 24 when he took up his post at Bryn Estyn in 1974. He proved to be extremely talented as an organiser of outdoor activities for the boys and had a good knowledge of camping, canoeing and hill-walking. He was, however, regarded by many Bryn Estyn boys as a bully; a number of former residents who had enjoyed their time at Bryn Estyn had singled him out as the one member of staff who should not have been working with young people.
In November 1991, however, he was telephoned by Darren Laverty who seemed to trust him enough to want his help, ‘to get Howarth and Doddy’ and mentioned a journalist who had come up from London to do a story about Bryn Estyn.
Wilson subsequently met Dean Nelson and gave him an interview in which he presented the journalist with a deliberately distorted and self-serving account of the home. Dodd and Howarth were presented in a bad light and Bryn Estyn was portrayed as an institution where violence was the norm. During their 1991-92 investigation, the police collected many allegations of physical assault involving Wilson.
They also trawled from Steven Hasshim bizarre complaints which included the claim that Wilson had sexually assaulted Hasshim with a ‘Crowbar’. As a result, Wilson found himself standing trial alongside Peter Howarth at Chester Crown Court in June 1994. During the trial he came to the conclusion that Howarth was an innocent man and had something approaching a crisis of conscience. He was found not guilty on the sexual charges against him.
In November 1994, he pleaded guilty to a number of counts of physical assault. He was sentenced to a total of fifteen months’ imprisonment, but the judge suspended the sentence for a period of two years.
As the tribunal report comments: ‘In fairness to Wilson it should be said finally…. That the judge made that decision not only because of Wilson’s pleas of guilty…. But also because of the good character that Wilson had established in the intervening years. After referring to the positive aspects of Wilson’s work on outside activities at Bryn Estyn, he said “I also take into account that since you have become a mature man you have done much on a voluntary basis for youngsters in the Chirk area, giving up many hours, indeed many days, of your time to work with them, with the result that you have fully earned the warm testimonials which have been presented to the Court by parents, and by persons in responsible positions in North Wales, who know of the work you have done.”
The Secret of Bryn Estyn 